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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Before reading Six of Crows, I had heard a lot of good things about it, but I’m not really a fan of the fantasy genre. Six of Crows surprised me greatly.

It’s the first book of the Six of Crows duology, its sequel being Crooked Kingdom. Both books are members of Leigh Bardugo’s incredible Grishaverse series. The Shadow and Bone trilogy were released beforehand, but aren’t necessary reading to understand Six of Crows.

This novel follows Kaz Brekker, a criminal mastermind living in Ketterdam. He’s made his way up the social chain from nothing and owns a large gambling hall in the city. Most importantly he’s the leader of the gang known as the Dregs. Kaz is asked to attempt to rescue a scientist from an extremely large and dangerous prison. He takes with him five members of the gang and their incredible adventure fills 462 pages of gorgeous writing, incredible plot, and some of my favorite characters ever.

As I previously mentioned, I wouldn’t call myself a fan of fantasy. I don’t know what drew me to Six of Crows but I’m so glad I read it. I’ve grown so attached to the main six characters and their deep emotions and painful backstories. All of the characters had their own unique backstories that just added so much to the story.

The chapters focus on individual characters. In other books I’ve read where it switches perspective, I’ve found myself disliking certain characters perspectives and zoning out when it was their chapters. However, Six of Crows kept me engaged the whole time.

I recommend Six of Crows to anyone looking for an incredible plot full of twist and turns. I already want to read it again.

-Ava T.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Just as I was giving up on the monotonous plots and characters of many current YA novels, Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, reminds me of how truly fantastic YA books can be. Six of Crows is the first book in its duology, followed by Crooked Kingdom. Bardugo wrote this series after The Grisha Trilogy, which is set in the same world. However, one does not need to read the trilogy beforehand (I did not), as they center around different characters and places.

My favorite part of this book is that it is set in a different world that has been so beautifully fleshed out by the author, including unique countries, cultures, and languages. Another cool part is that the band of six are so diverse and provide a wide variety of representation in race, sexual orientation, and both physical and mental disabilities. The group live in a buzzing city called Ketterdam (taking inspiration from the city of Amsterdam). This 1800s type city is right next to the sea is filled with merchants, cargo ships, gang claimed territories, and thieves. Speaking of thieves and gangs…

Six of Crows story follows a gang (literally) of antihero teenagers, each with their own bitter backstory. Kaz Brekker aka Dirtyhands aka Bastard of the Barrel is the leader of the gang called the Dregs. He is mysterious, cold, and delightfully sarcastic. Despite Kaz’s limp in his leg, no one in their right mind would dare cross him or his cane. Next is Inej aka The Wraith. But don’t let her small frame fool you, as she the deadliest and sneakiest one on the team. Right hand man and life of the group is Jesper. The only thing stronger than his sharpshooting ability is his gambling addiction.

Thirdly, we have Nina, a Heartrender Grisha, meaning she has special abilities that can manipulate others’ bodies. However, if Nina lived in our world, she’d be an A-lister actress for sure. Any group of fighters needs a brooding muscle man, and Matthias sure fills that part, no matter how reluctant he might be. And last but not least, we have bright young merchling, Wylan, who is new to the heathen street life, but becomes an incredible asset.

These crooked youngsters embark on an insane mission that’s filled with humor, struggle, suspense, emotions, and wonderful fight scenes. The opening scene with Inez is my favorite scene as we get to see two gangs in a “parley” meeting. It is so intriguing and thrilling, specifically with how we see it from Inej’s bird’s eye view. The amount of detail that Leigh Bardugo put in her writing and characterization is truly spectacular and I recommend this book 100%!

-Ava K.

The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.